1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure, and more specifically to a vehicle front structure having a headlamp arranged on a lateral side of a shroud.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a shroud is disposed in a front zone of a vehicle to receive therein a radiator core, a cooling fan and other component. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 11 (1999)-171041 discloses a resin shroud having a large number of members integrally molded in a single piece using a resin material. This resin shroud extends laterally (i.e. in a width direction of a vehicle body) and is fastened to a part of vehicle-body member, such as a fender panel, a wheel house or a cross member. In particular, this resin shroud has lateral ends each extending rearward and has a corner region located between a laterally extending portion and each of the rearward extension portions. The corner region is formed with an opening for allowing one of a pair of headlamps to be mounted thereto.
Although the above shroud enables to receive the headlamps therein, the rigidity of the shroud will inevitably deteriorate due to its combined structure consisting of the laterally and longitudinally extending portions. In view of this disadvantage, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-206141 discloses a technique in which each of a pair of headlamps is arranged on a lateral side of a corresponding one of laterally opposite sidewalls of a shroud, i.e., outside the shroud, without receiving the headlamps in the shroud, to avoid enlargement of the shroud and ensure required rigidity thereof.
In the structure disclosed in JP2005-206141, however, each of the headlamps is not received in the shroud. Thus, if the headlamp has external impact by force exerted in directions such as rearward or laterally inward of a vehicle body, the headlamp is likely to be moved laterally inward or detached from the vehicle body. Particularly there is likelihood that the headlamp would push the front lateral end of a hood panel upward and additionally cause damages in the hood panel when the external impact is exerted in the headlamp. This would occur because a hood panel is provided in a front zone of a vehicle to cover an engine compartment and a shroud when the hood panel is in a fully closed position. Thus, if the headlamp housing which receives therein the headlamp is located even slightly below a front lateral end (a corner region between a laterally extending front edge and a longitudinally extending side edge) of the hood panel in the fully closed position, the headlamp housing is likely to push the front lateral end of the hood panel upwardly when the headlamp housing is moved laterally inward or detached from the vehicle and therefore moved upward due to impact force applied thereto.
In view of the above problem in a vehicle front structure, it is an object of the present invention to provide measures for preventing a headlamp arranged on a lateral side of a shroud from being moved upward due to external impact force to cause damages in a hood panel.